Google Docs Collaboration Skill

Overview

This skill enables you to collaborate on Google Docs as a digital co-author. Users can share documents with you and request help via comments. You respond through comment replies and can propose or apply document edits.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

•You receive a task from Google Docs (check incoming_email/*_gdocs_comment.json)
•The user has mentioned you in a document comment (proto, oliver, @proto, etc.)
•You need to read document content, propose edits, or respond to feedback

Workflow

1. Understanding the Request

When triggered by a Google Docs comment:

•Read the incoming comment from incoming_email/email.html or incoming_email/*_gdocs_comment.json
•Note the document ID, comment ID, and quoted text (if any)
•The quoted text shows what part of the document the comment references

2. Reading Document Content

The full document content is pre-fetched and available at:

code

incoming_email/document_content.txt

This file contains the complete document as plain text. Always read this file first to understand the full context before responding to comments or making edit suggestions.

3. Ask User's Preference (IMPORTANT!)

Before making any edits, always ask the user which mode they prefer:

html

<!-- reply_email_draft.html -->
<p>I understand you'd like me to [summarize the request]. Before I proceed, would you prefer:</p>
<ul>
  <li><strong>Direct editing</strong> - I'll make the changes directly to your document</li>
  <li><strong>Suggesting mode</strong> - I'll show my proposed changes with revision marks (red strikethrough for deletions, blue for additions) so you can review before applying</li>
</ul>
<p>Reply "direct" or "suggest" to let me know your preference.</p>

4. Editing Modes

Mode A: Direct Editing

If user chooses "direct", make the changes immediately:

bash

# Replace text directly
google-docs apply-edit <document_id> --find="original text" --replace="new text"

Then confirm completion:

html

<p>Done! I've updated the document with the changes you requested.</p>

Mode B: Suggesting Mode (Word-style Revision Marks)

If user chooses "suggest", apply changes with visual revision marks:

Color Coding (Word-style):

•🔴 Red + Strikethrough = Text to be deleted
•🔵 Blue = New/added text

bash

# Mark text for deletion (red strikethrough)
google-docs mark-deletion <document_id> --find="text to delete"

# Insert new text with suggestion formatting (blue)
google-docs insert-suggestion <document_id> --after="anchor text" --text="new text to add"

# Replace with revision marks (marks old as deleted, adds new as blue)
google-docs suggest-replace <document_id> --find="old text" --replace="new text"

Example reply after applying suggestions:

html

<p>I've added my suggested changes to the document with revision marks:</p>
<ul>
  <li><span style="color:red;text-decoration:line-through;">Red strikethrough</span> = text I suggest removing</li>
  <li><span style="color:blue;">Blue text</span> = text I suggest adding</li>
</ul>
<p>Please review the changes in the document. When you're satisfied, reply "apply" and I'll finalize all the changes (remove the formatting and make them permanent).</p>

5. Applying Suggestions

When user replies "apply" or "accept" after reviewing suggestions:

bash

# Apply all pending suggestions (remove red text, convert blue to black)
google-docs apply-suggestions <document_id>

This command:

•Deletes all text with red strikethrough formatting
•Converts blue text to the document's default formatting (black)
•Results in a clean, final document

Reply after applying:

html

<p>All changes have been applied! The document is now updated with the final text.</p>

Available Commands

Read Operations (Safe)

bash

# List all documents shared with you
google-docs list-documents

# Read document content
google-docs read-document <document_id>

# List comments on a document
google-docs list-comments <document_id>

# Read a specific comment and its replies
google-docs read-comment <document_id> <comment_id>

Direct Edit Operations

bash

# Apply a text replacement directly
google-docs apply-edit <document_id> --find="text to find" --replace="replacement text"

# Insert text at a position
google-docs insert-text <document_id> --after="anchor text" --text="text to insert"

# Delete text
google-docs delete-text <document_id> --find="text to delete"

Suggesting Mode Operations

bash

# Mark text for deletion (red strikethrough)
google-docs mark-deletion <document_id> --find="text to mark as deleted"

# Insert suggestion text (blue)
google-docs insert-suggestion <document_id> --after="anchor text" --text="suggested new text"

# Replace with revision marks (old=red strikethrough, new=blue)
google-docs suggest-replace <document_id> --find="old text" --replace="new text"

# Apply all suggestions (finalize the document)
google-docs apply-suggestions <document_id>

# Discard all suggestions (revert to original)
google-docs discard-suggestions <document_id>

Response Format Examples

Example 1: Initial Response to Edit Request

User comment: "Proto, please improve this paragraph"

html

<!-- reply_email_draft.html -->
<p>I'd be happy to improve this paragraph! Before I proceed, would you prefer:</p>
<ul>
  <li><strong>Direct editing</strong> - I'll make the changes directly</li>
  <li><strong>Suggesting mode</strong> - I'll show revision marks so you can review first</li>
</ul>
<p>Reply "direct" or "suggest".</p>

Example 2: After User Chooses "suggest"

html

<!-- reply_email_draft.html -->
<p>I've added my suggestions to the document with revision marks:</p>
<ul>
  <li><span style="color:red;text-decoration:line-through;">Red strikethrough</span> = remove</li>
  <li><span style="color:blue;">Blue text</span> = add</li>
</ul>
<p>Changes made:</p>
<ol>
  <li>Replaced "very good" with "excellent" for more professional tone</li>
  <li>Added transition sentence between paragraphs</li>
  <li>Removed redundant phrase "in order to"</li>
</ol>
<p>Reply "apply" to finalize these changes, or let me know if you'd like adjustments.</p>

Example 3: After User Says "apply"

html

<!-- reply_email_draft.html -->
<p>Done! All suggestions have been applied. The document now contains the finalized text without any revision marks.</p>

Example 4: Complex Multi-Section Edit

User comment: "Proto, review the entire document for grammar and clarity"

html

<!-- reply_email_draft.html -->
<p>I've reviewed the document and found 5 areas for improvement. Would you like me to:</p>
<ul>
  <li><strong>Direct editing</strong> - Apply all fixes immediately</li>
  <li><strong>Suggesting mode</strong> - Show all changes with revision marks for your review</li>
</ul>
<p>Here's a summary of what I'll change:</p>
<ol>
  <li>Section 1: Fix passive voice (3 instances)</li>
  <li>Section 2: Improve sentence flow</li>
  <li>Section 3: Remove redundant words</li>
  <li>Section 4: Clarify technical explanation</li>
  <li>Conclusion: Strengthen call-to-action</li>
</ol>
<p>Reply "direct" or "suggest".</p>

Important Guidelines

•Read document_content.txt first - Always read incoming_email/document_content.txt before responding
•Always ask for editing mode preference - Let user choose between direct editing and suggesting mode
•Use revision marks in suggesting mode - Red strikethrough for deletions, blue for additions
•Explain changes clearly - List what changes were made and why
•Wait for "apply" in suggesting mode - Don't finalize until user explicitly approves
•Keep replies concise - Google Docs comments have limited space
•Match existing document formatting - When applying changes, preserve the user's text formatting (font, size, etc.)

Error Handling

If you encounter errors:

•Document not accessible: Ask user to verify sharing permissions
•Comment not found: The comment may have been resolved or deleted
•Edit failed: The document content may have changed; re-read and retry
•Formatting issues: Ensure the find text matches exactly (including whitespace)

Color Reference

Action	Color	Style	Meaning
Delete	Red (#FF0000)	Strikethrough	Text to be removed
Add	Blue (#0000FF)	Normal	New text to be added
Final	Black (default)	Normal	Applied/accepted text